Status: 11/21/2021 2:54 p.m.
Ticket, mask – and probably from Wednesday also the 3G proof: Passengers must then be vaccinated against Corona, recovered or tested if they want to use the bus or train. Checks are carried out on a random basis.
To contain the corona pandemic, the Bundestag and Bundesrat recently passed a new infection protection law. The amendment stipulates that people at work and on public transport must be vaccinated against Corona, recovered from Covid-19 or tested negative for the virus – the 3G rule.
It is not yet clear when the rule will apply, because it depends on when Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier signs the amended law. The federal government assumes Wednesday.
Test must not be older than 24 hours
Random samples are then checked during ticket inspection, for example, to determine whether a passenger is complying with the 3G rule. At the start of the journey, the test acceptance must not be more than 24 hours ago. According to the law, the companies are responsible for the controls. Many transport companies try to cooperate with the local police in order to be able to carry out these controls.
Deutsche Bahn wants to announce at the beginning of the week how it is handling the new requirements. The group had shown itself to be open to 3G at an early stage. It is true that it is easier to keep an eye on passengers in an ICE than in an underground train. Comprehensive controls are not to be expected on the railways either.
What do 2G, 2G-Plus, 3G and 3G-Plus mean?
The access restrictions 2G, 2G-Plus, 3G and 3G-Plus play a major role in the Corona measures. The meaning in detail:
– 2G means vaccinated or recovered. People who received the final vaccination at least two weeks ago are considered vaccinated. People who have corona infection with a PCR test are considered to have recovered. This test result must be at least 28 days old and not more than six months ago.
– 2G-Plus: like 2G, the plus stands for additionally tested the vaccinated and / or recovered persons. The negative result of a corona rapid test is required as a test.
– 3G means fully vaccinated, recovered or tested. A negative rapid antigen test, which must not be older than 24 hours, is required as a test.
– 3G plus means vaccinated, recovered or PCR tested. A negative PCR test is required from unvaccinated persons. This must be renewed every 72 hours for longer stays.
3G should also apply to domestic flights in the future, but not in taxis. Also excluded from the rule are under six year olds and schoolchildren, as it is assumed that they will undergo regular tests at school.
3G at work too
3G should also apply to all employees in the workplace who have contact with others at work. You then have to provide evidence and the employer is obliged to check. Anyone who has not been vaccinated or has recovered will need a negative test every day in the future – not a self-test.
If employees refuse, employers can send them to work from home. A leave of absence without continued payment of wages or termination in the final analysis are also conceivable.
Possibly a real problem for the unvaccinated
For unvaccinated people, compliance with the new law could become a complicated matter if they want to use public transport for daily commutes to work, university or shopping – or if they depend on the bus or train to get to a test station .
There is a free “citizen test” per week at the test stations. Employers have to put two tests a week. However, only self-tests carried out under supervision for personal use are considered evidence. The Ministry of Health had confirmed this to the “Welt”.
Who pays for tests for the other days of the week is open. In case of doubt, unvaccinated persons must provide evidence of tests themselves on all working days.